Means for supporting engines.



H. G. GHATAIN.

MEANS PoR SUPPORTING ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. Z3, 1912.

Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

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HENRI G. CHATAIN, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO 'GENERAL ELECTRIC yCOE/IFAJATZ", A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

MEANS FOR SUPPORTING ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed pri123, 1912i. Serial No. 692,584.

v To all fwwm t may concern.' l

Be it known that l, HENRI G. CHATAIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Erie, county of Erie, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful .Improvernents in Means :for Supporting Engines, of which Athe."following is a specification.

rlhe present invention relates to self-propelled vehicles, and in particular to the class or' vehicles adapted to run on metal rails and in which the motive power is supplied by an internal combustion engine mounted in the vehicle, Which is direct connected to an electric generator, the latter supplying current to electric motors mounted on the vehicle axles.

lf the engine and generator are fastened directly onA the floor sills of the car or vehicle, the vibrations of the engine will be transmitted directly thereto to the annoyance and discomfort of the' passengers. rlhis vibration is more noticeable at some speeds than at others.v f

The object of my invention is to provide a, suspension or support for the engine and generator which Will prevent the transmission of vibrations to the car body, and at the same time securely anchor the engine and generator against fore-andaft, sidevvise and lifting movements relative to said body. To this end, l mount the engine and generator Within the vehicle on a spring means suitably selected to prevent the transmission of engine vibrations to the body, which means is located under the engine and preferably under the center of gravity of the whole mass, said spring means being supported by the body bolster or other suitable part. lin addition to this, the engine and generator are sup orted by one or more cushions, which, in a dition to acting as a Weight supporting means and preventing the transmission of engine vibrations, assist in preventing rocking or lurching and pitching movements of any substantial amplitude. This cushion can, with advantage, be made of a thick dense felt oi' ordinary manufacture, and either in a single piece or in a number of pieces. l have discovered that such felt is entirely satisfactory for the purpose, providing it is not compressed to too high a degree. My experiments, extending over a considerable period ot time, under actual operating conditions show that such felt can sustain a load of about ten pounds per square inch as a maximum, and this for an indefinite time, Without injurious effects. If the compression of the felt is too low, the movements of the engine and generator relative to the car body will be of too great a magnitude. 0n the other hand, ifthe compression is too great, the vibrations of the engine Will be transmitted through it to the car body to a greater or less extent. l have found `felt to be a satisfactory material for these cushions, but l do not Wish to limit myself to it, as other more or less resilient and equivalent materials may be employed. The spring means may be adjustably mounted on the bolster or other part of the body, or shims may be placed under said means te change the lifting eflect thereof. vBy changing the stress exerted by the spring, the pro orti'on of the total Weight carried by the cus. ion or cushions can readily be fixed. Owing-to the yielding nature of the support, means must be provided to anchor the engine and generator against ore-and-aft, sidewise and lifting movements. For this purpose, l may advantageously employ means such as clamps which are of suitable section to engage the portions of the sills or the fear' body located directly beneath the engine, said clam as extending above, below land onne side ci each of said sills.' in order to prevent these clamps from transmitting engine vibrations to the car body, cushioning means, such as felt, are interposed between the clamps and the sills, which means are also placed under low compression.

Owing to the fact that the engine and generator, in addition'to being direct connected for driving purposes, have their casings or iixed parts bolted together, Vthey may be treated as aA unitary structure. From one point of View, my invention is therefore directed to an engine support,and from another point ot' view to 'an enginegenerator support. b

In the aeeompanyindrawmg, `tfvhich illustrates one of the em odiments oit my invention, Figure 1 is a view partly in section and partly in side elevation ot the front end of a motor car; Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view taken in a plane perpendicular to that of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an inverted plan View showing a means for anchoring the engine.

ico

car body. The truck itself may be of any.

suitable construction and provided with springs of suitable character.

l() indicates a multi-cylinder internall combustion engine. In the present instance,

the engine is provided with eight cylindersv 11 arranged in sets of four each, although i the number can be varied if desired. Bolted to the engine fra-me is the 'casing 12 of an electric generator of any suitable construction.

Located under the center of gravity of the mass of the engine and generator is a coiled compression spring 13 that rests in a socket member 1%1 on the body bolster and enters a socket llla formed on the underside of the engine frame, said sprin being suitably constructed and arrange to prevent engine vibrations from being transmitted to the bolster and vehicle body. rIhis spring sustains a portion of the weight ofthe enginel and generator, thepbalance being sustained by one or more horizontally disposed cushions 15 that are located under the sides and ends of the engine. These cushions are made of felt and are under relatively low compression. The cushions rest on smooth surfaced plates 16, which are fastened by rivets to the sills of the ca'r body.

In order to prevent fore-and-aft, sidewise and lifting movements of the engine, clamps or anchoring-devices are provided. These devices are formed of ianged portions 17 that are or may be cast integral with th'e base of the engine. 'Io these flanges are bolted detachable pieces 18 thatextend under the lower ends of the lates 16 to limit the lifting movement of t e engine. rllhis same construction is employed on the sides as well as on the front and rear ends of the engine. The side pieces 18 are considerably longer than those extending across the front and rear ends of the engine and are held in lace by two or more bolts. Each of the enti) ieces is held in place by a single clamping olt, and-apin 19 is provided to prevent said piece from twisting on the bolt. Be tween each of theplamps and the plate 16 is a cushion 20 whichprevents the transmission of engine vibrations to the sillsfofthe car body. These cushions are also-made of felt and' .are under relatively low compression. For convenience, the cushion that assists in supporting the weight of the engine and that between the arts of the anchor and the sills is 'ma e in one piece,

lWhat I claim as new'and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is

' 1. In combination, an engine, coiled spring means for sustaining a large part of the weight of the engine, a cushion for the engine extending along its sides and ends and supporting a part of the weight thereof, a support which carries the means and cushion, and anchoring means for securing the engine to the support.

2. In combination, an engine, a coiled spring that is located under the center of gravity of the engine for supporting it, a support upon which the spring is mounted, anchoring means for securing the engine to its support, and cushions between the support and anchoring means` that are under low compression.

3. In combination, an engine, coiled spring means located under the engine for sustaining the weight thereof and preventing the transmission of engine vibrations, a'support for the spring means, and anchoring means at the sides and ends of the engine to limit the fore-and-aft, sidewise and lifting movements thereof with respect to the I support. f

4. In combination, an engine, a spring means located under the engine for sustaining the Weight thereof, a support for the spring means, anchoring means to limit the fore-and-aft, sidewise and lifting movements of the en ine with respect to the support,

and' a -cus ion which carries -a certain portion of the weight of the engine andis itself carried by the support.

5. In combination, an engine,coiled spring means located under the engine for sustain- -lng a large part of the weight thereof, a support for the spring means, anchoring means at the sides and ends of the engine to limit the fore-and-aft, sidewise and lifting movements thereof with respect to the supv port, and ,a resilient means located between the anchoring means and the support carry- `ing a part of the weight of the engine to prevent the transmission of engine vibrations from' one to the other.

6. In combination, yan engine, a spring means located under the engine foi-'sustaining a part of the weight thereof, a cushion for sustaining the remainder of said weight, which isunder a relatively low compresswn,

a support upon which the means and cushion are mounted, anchors for the engine that cooperate With the support, and cushion means interposed between the anchors and the support.

7. In combination, an engine, a springv located under the center of gravity of the engine for sustaining a part of the Weight thereof, a body of felt that sustains the balance Aoi the Weight of the engine, sills for supporting the engine, and anchors for the engine which engage the sills'.

8. In combination, a vehicle frame cornprising sills and a body bolster, an engine, and a spring that is seated on the bolster for supporting the engine.

9. In combination, a vehicle frame comprising sills and a bodv bolster, an engine, a spring that is seated on the bolster for supporting the engine, and a cushion that is located between the engine and the sills to carry a portion of the weight of the engine and prevent the transmission of vibrations from one to the other.

10. In combination, a vehicle frame comprising sills and a body bolster, an engine, a spring that is seated on the bolster for supporting the engine, an anchoring means to restrict the fore-and-aft, sidewise and lifting movements of the engine, and cushion means that support a part of the Weight of the engine and are interposed between the anchoring` means and the sills to absorb vibration.

. In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 19th day of April, 1912.

HENRI G. CHAIAIN. Witnesses:

ALEX. F. MACDONALD, S. J SMITNEY. 

